Silver Lining
by Seto K4iba1
Summary: Joey ends up realizing that this might be his last walk home. Ever!  One-shot.


**Disclaimer**: Under NO circumstances do I claim rights to Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything pertaining to it. All rights reserved to Kazuki Takahashi, FUNimation, 4kids tv, etc.

**Silver Lining**

Once again I'm waiting at the curb, out in front of the school, to be picked up and taken home. My Pops has once again forgotten to pick me up. Not that I can blame him I'm a very forgettable person, I must be for him to have forgotten to pick me up every day for over a month. I watch as the wind blows a clanking can down the street. "I miss you Mom, you never forgot to pick me up. Why did you 'n Pops have to get that divorce?" I say as I wipe away the water starting to leak out of my eyes. I look up towards the sky thinking that the wind will help to dry my eyes, the last time my Pops saw tear tracks on my face I got yelled at and had to go to my room without dinner.

"Oh great, just my luck it's gunna rain."

I say to myself as I pick up my bag, sling it over my shoulder and start runnin' towards home. It's funny how the weather seems to match my mood today. My Mom used to say that "a smile just seemed to make the grey part of the day go away." Great now I really am gonna cry. Nice job duface, Pops's already mad at you for failing your math test and havin' ta go to a parent teacher meeting tommorow, now your goin' to be in even more trouble when you get home. I skid to a stop at an alleyway and decide that even if it is creepy that it is probably the quickest way home. Home, "huh." Ever since Mom moved away all the heart in the place has seemed to've vanished into thin air.

"Whoa! Unh, Oh man wha' did I trip over."

I say as I get up and try to dust myself off. Great I was thinkin' and not lookin' where I was goin' and ended up trippin' over my own two feet only to land in a bunch of broken glass, man I really am a dunce. "ouch." Great now I'm bleedin', and I have a rip in the knee of my pants. "Please tell me this day can' possibly get any worse." I yell out. And que the rain. Oh well, at least I can blame the tracks on my face as the rain's doin'. Silver linin' as they say. "Grrrrr." "What was that!" I say as I look around. Huh, maybe it was just thunder, "gulp" I hope. Then I see a black shape movin' in the rain towards me. "Nice doggy." I say as strongly and peacefully as I can. "Woah! your a big doggy aint'cha." "Grrrrr." "And what big and sharp looking teeth you've got." "Hey fella, I just wanna get home with no more troubles kapish." "Grrrrr." That would be a no comprende, "hehe."

"GROUGH"

Oh snap, was that a bark or a roar! I think as I turn and run the other way. Lookin' over my shoulder, I see that yes it's chasin' me. Crap. Where to run, where to run! I'll just let my feet carry me where ever I'm goin' and hope that things get better real quick, other wise... "Joey Wheeler, age thirteen, survived by father, fellow class mates and even the crazy old cat lady that lives down the street. And how did he go down you ask? Dog food! That's right no diein' in a car with a bunch of drunk teenagers, or the other usual teen death caused by overdose. No, plain and simple dog kibble. Man does my life suck!

I continue runnin' as fast as I can. I even run past the old billboard on Millard street that shows a guy wavin' and sayin' "Oakland, a safe place to live". For some reason that billboard seems kinda funny to me now. Maybe it's the fact that I seem ta not be able to catch my breath so there's a lack of oxygen goin' to my brain, or maybe its the fact that I'm most likely about to be a dogs chew toy. Probably the latter. Speaking of said dog I can hear the clicking of his toe nails hittin' the pavement right behind me, and I try to speed up. There's only one problem, at this point I'm exhausted, and my body is startin' to slow down instead of speed up. I'm doomed.

Just as I start runnin' across a seemin'ly empty street I hear the screech of tires and end up havin' to jump out a the way of a speedin' car. I land on my back, which now has an extreme case o' road rash, an turn over just in time to see the car hit the dog and throw it five feet away. "Whoa, tha' was close." I say to myself as I start getting up. The door on the car opens and a man steps out, an that's when I realize that this aint no ordinary car, it's a cop car. "Kid what were you thinking running across the street like that? You could have gotten yourself killed!" "Sorry officer, I was bein' chased by that dog see, an I wasn' really looking where I was goin'." "Chased by a dog huh." "Yes sir." "Well alright, if your sure that's the story you want to go with." "Huh?" "You do realize your out past the curfew for minors right." I look at my watch and see that it is indeed past nine at night. "Holy Mackerel, sorry officer I didn' realize, my Pops forgot to pick me up from school an the rain an then bein' chased by the dog an..." "No it's alright, I believe you. You look and sound like you've actually had all of that happen to you tonight, and besides I like to avoid doing extra paperwork if I can. Why don't you get in the car and I'll give you a ride home."

"Really, thanks officer."

He unlocks the passenger side door for me and I slide into the seat an buckle up. "So whats your name and where do you live kid." "The names Joey Wheeler, an I live in the West Burrows apartment complex." "The one on the south side of town?" He says with surprise in his voice. "Yeah, tha's the one." I look at him wondering why he asked. "Your father wouldn't happen to be William Wheeler now would he?" "Yeah, why?" "Your father got picked up this morning at Oakland Mall for drunk and disorderly conduct, and when the officers got him to the station he assaulted a female officer. Social Services has been trying to find you since about six this afternoon. They where planning to place you with your Mother who has been at the station waiting to see if they have found you." "Really! I get to go and live with my Mom!" I say with tears in my eyes." "Yep, I'll take you to the station now." Wow, I think to myself maybe this day hasn' been so bad after all.


End file.
